


Little Things

by Ellstra



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Parallels, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5689312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellstra/pseuds/Ellstra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were the two pieces of puzzle that shouldn't have fit and yet fitted perfectly. Each other was all they had but boy, wasn't it enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Things

Hux had been growing up around soldiers and starships his whole life. Order and discipline were what kept him going, his comfort zone, the only thing he knew. He had to become a soldier because who else would he be? He was nothing otherwise. He was smart and innovative in familiar surroundings; he could come up with a good plan of action even when his ship was falling into pieces around him and most of his crew was dead. He was by far the smartest among the other kids in his class but ask him to find a friend and he’d break down.

Hux couldn’t explain it – he was funny, he was smart, he wasn’t that ugly either but he was always the outsider, no matter what. People talked about how clever he was, how great a leader he’ll make but they failed to recognise him as a person with feelings. Nobody ever invited him anywhere, nobody ever shared a secret with him, nobody told him they loved him. They came to him for help, they respected him but they didn’t really take him as a part of their group. Soon enough, he learned to pretend they didn’t matter to him and sometimes he even managed to convince himself of it. He was growing to be a ruthless commander.

But he was just a teenage boy.

Kylo Ren was a disaster, a nuclear bomb waiting to go off. Just like a nuclear bomb, he was powerful, he was almost incontrollable and nobody really knew what was going on inside him. His powers were unmatched with the exception of Darth Vader, who was rumoured to having been Kylo’s grandfather. Kylo, however, wasn’t the best choice of a pledged, dedicated fighter or a leader. The Force ran fierce and chaotic in him. Most of the time, it manifested independently on his will. He was disorderly, constantly in emotional turmoil and unpredictable.

And he was just a teenage boy.

Hux had had very little. His Mother had died when he was four years old. He had little recollection of her but there was a hole in him where she should have been. His Father was a Colonel and had next to no time for his son. Sometimes Hux thought he was just as unreachable as his mother. He had had too many caretakers to truly bond with either of them so they just became a blurry line of faces.

Kylo Ren had had everything. His mother was a Princess, even if the planet where it mattered didn’t exist anymore, and she loved her son. His Father was a legend, a hero to little boys learning to pilot ships, and he loved his son. There was an Uncle as well, strong with the Force and just a little over-dramatic who played with his nephew and made him his favourite student.

Hux had set his first name aside when all it did was remind him of the pain of being a lonely little boy.

Kylo Ren decided to strip of his given name when he succumbed to Snoke’s luring.

When they met for the first time, they were nothings with promises of greatness. Hux was freshly a leader of a tiny and unimportant squad of Stormtroopers, Kylo swishing his lightsaber and hitting the air more often than not. Hux was a cocky man reaching for his twenties, Kylo an annoying and self-assured youngster who clearly saw himself older than he was. Hux had never met his equal amongst his peers and now Kylo came and challenged him to quarrel for dominance. But neither of them could win. Kylo could make use of his instincts and emotions when Hux’s wit failed and got hindered by his anger where Hux’s composed calculation triumphed.

Ever since then, they observed each other more closely than they cared to admit. They watched out for each other’s failures and successes while appearing disinterested. There was a part of their minds constantly dedicated to the other, always contemplating what the latter would say, think or do before they took any course of action. Some people said it was distraction for them, that it was undesirable, but never to their faces. Snoke knew better. He pretended his time was too valuable to deal with them separately but he wanted to bring them together as much as possible.

They nurtured each other’s verve; they put more effort in their tasks than was deemed possible just to trump the other. They were better together than apart and they took comfort in their time together, in their fighting and their brief moments of celebration when they forgot their dignity and hugged before they composed themselves. They would deny it of course. Because how could they not? They were the opposites but not in the cute, sweet manner. They were incompatible, likely to obliterate each other sooner or later, and they hated each other so much it caused actual injuries from time to time.

Just like they fought each other, they pushed others away. Nobody would say shit about Ren in Hux’s presence or gods help him. He was Hux’s to hate, his to torment and to mock, not anyone else’s. He might want to punch the boy every time he sees him but it doesn’t give anyone permission to beat the young Sith up. It worked the other way around just as well – with maybe the exception of Kylo being more terrifying in his threats.

They climbed the imaginary steps on the ladder of success together. They didn’t reach for the other, they stepped on the other’s back to get to the higher step. Soon enough, Hux was feared and respected both for his own abilities and Ren creating an aura of mysterious competence around him. Kylo didn’t have that much of imminent competition but he still owed Hux more than he knew. Sometimes the ginger’s surprised eyes and hitched breath when Hux accidentally ran in on Kylo in his training gear that left very little to imagination were the only thing that kept him going when his muscles ached, Snoke was telling him off for something and doubts flooded his mind.

_You can’t spend so much time monitoring someone without noticing little things that make them unique._

Hux always drank a cup of tea after he woke up – in the rare cases when he didn’t, he was irritable and without energy. Getting out of bed in the morning was the most difficult thing during Kylo’s day. Despite his sombre attire, Hux loved to wear colourful socks. Kylo’s eyes changed colours with his mood. Hux took cold, short showers to keep his mind sharp. Kylo could spend hours in a bathroom.

Sometimes it terrified them how much they knew about the other. But the little bits of information seemed to ingrain themselves into their brains without the slightest desire to leave.

Hux was lonely and it bothered him despite what he wanted people to see. Kylo couldn’t stand being wrong and making mistakes. Hux got passive aggressive when someone pointed out he was a cold robot, which resulted in him being pissed and bitchy for hours. Kylo sometimes went through days of crippling depression that left him staring at the wall and more insufferable than usual.

 _You can’t know so much about someone without starting to be at least a little intrigued by them_.

Hux covered his face with powder to hide his freckles. Which was just plain unnecessary and dumb. Kylo covered his face with a scary-looking mask to hide the feelings he was never able to conceal himself. Which was sensible but also stupid. Hux had a long, wiry scar on his left upper arm from when he was going through his basic military training. The day he cut himself on a steel rope, he decided he would never be an ordinary soldier. Kylo had a couple of odd-looking scars all over his body. The day he got his ass beaten by Uncle Luke in a serious fight for the first time, he decided never to let anyone else beat him again.

 _You can’t understand someone so well without admiring them_.

Hux may have been obnoxious but he was fucking brilliant. Kylo may have been overly emotional but he was just so damn graceful when he fought. Hux worked harder than anyone else. Kylo never tried to back away from a challenge. Hux’s hair looked amazing in sunlight. Kylo’s eyelashes were otherworldly thick.

_When you’ve pushed everyone away and there’s just one person left to put up with you, it’s very difficult to hate them._

Hux loved praise. He would never admit it but Kylo just knew that he basked in any kind word he received. For some reason, Kylo made sure to appreciate the soldier’s hard work. With harsh words of course, because he couldn’t lose his face. Kylo was the most insecure person Hux had ever met. He would deny it with snarky comments and false bravado but Hux knew that he needed constant reassurance of his importance, especially in the times when he was the most sarcastic. Hux couldn’t quite explain why he kept whispering words of encouragement into the Sith’s ear. And he insulted him later when he was sure Kylo could take it, because he was still in control of his emotions.

_And sometimes you understand that’s what love is about._

Hux learned to believe Kylo’s praise was meant genuinely, no matter the words that accompanied it. Kylo learned how to show Hux he needed to be held close when words wouldn’t come. Hux found out how to stop Kylo from lashing out and destroying things around him even if he wasn’t always successful. Kylo discovered that the best reward for Hux was finding a naked compliant Ren in his bed. Hux realised Kylo was more stable ever since they got together. Kylo came to the conclusion that having a relationship with your closest co-worker was the opposite of a negative thing. Hux noticed that the rougher their sex was, the cuddlier and loving Kylo was. Kylo observed that the wearier Hux was after sex, the more energy he had for work the next day.

Hux didn’t believe in fate. Kylo objected the Force bringing them together was an undeniable fact. Hux told him he was a sap. Kylo shrugged and kissed his boyfriend’s temple.

**Author's Note:**

> Who else loves parallel writing? Well I'm a parallels trash and these two idiots just make the best parallel material. Thanks for reading.


End file.
